Broomfield voters turn out in thousands

People hopeful despite election fatigue

With a mix of enthusiasm and apprehension, Broomfield residents turned out in droves Tuesday to cast their ballot in the 2012 election.

Voters said the close race made them even more motivated to vote, but they also felt tired of watching political advertisements and seeing news coverage about the election. Of the voters who showed up to cast ballots in person, most said they needed a break from the nail-biting predictions, especially in the presidential race. As if to add extra weight to their votes, some voters could be seen crossing their fingers as they slid their ballots into the ballot box.

Of more than 31,000 registered voters in Broomfield, more than 80 percent of them requested a mail ballot this year. By 5 p.m., more than 3,000 people turned out to vote in person at one of seven vote centers throughout the city.

The atmosphere was festive at the Broomfield Senior Center, which is typically the busiest center because of its proximity to the George Di Ciero City and County Building, said elections administrator Michael Susek.

By 4:30 p.m., the senior center had seen 810 voters, which was about 200 to 300 more voters than the other six vote centers.

Inside, a steady stream of voters moved swiftly through the line. Suzanne Smith, Broomfield's director of human resources and an election official, said the line was out the door earlier in the morning.

"There's a lot of enthusiasm here. People are really excited to be here, and we think we'll see another mad rush soon," she said.Volunteers and voters cheered each time they heard a bell, which signaled that a first-time voter had just submitted their ballot.

One of those first-time voters was Kyle Chavez, a Holy Family High School student. His mother, Vicki Turos, snapped a photo of her son after he finished voting.

Chavez said he learned about each candidate from watching the debates and discussing the issues in his government class.

"We discussed everything in small groups and debated about which arguments were valid," he said.

Another new voter, Leeland Butkovich, said it was "stupid easy" to find a polling place and cast his ballot. He wanted to vote in person because he did not trust the mail system, and wanted to make sure his vote counted.

Butkovich, an Obama supporter, said he would be staying away from the television so he isn't saturated with last-minute election ads.

"I think I'll just play World of Warcraft until it's over," he said.

Many voters said they also would be avoiding ads and television coverage, because they were tired of the deluge of election-related news and TV spots.

Bill Hollis said he had managed to avoid watching political advertisements on television this election season. He said he preferred to get his information from news Websites instead of the TV.

"We need to be informed, and ads don't inform," Hollis said.

Many voters expressed concerns about the close race, including Victoria Culkin. She was worried her vote would not count, because there had been a problem with her voter registration, but said Broomfield election volunteers helped her cast her ballot.

"It was really easy, just a great experience, and I'm glad I actually got to vote," she said.

With the race neck and neck, Culkin said it was even more important that her vote counted.

"It's just such a tight race, such a close call," she said.

Some voters waited until the last minute to cast their ballots. At the George DiCiero City and County Building, some voters jogged in to drop off mail ballots, while others idled their cars in front of the building while filling out their ballots from the driver's seat.

After voting in person, Larry Rice said he was going to make sure his two adult daughters cast their ballots, too.

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